'Ding—! Ding! Ding—!'
Under the blazing cherry blossom tree, blades clashed and sparks danced through the air.
Himeko stepped forward, gripping her sword with both hands as she unleashed a mighty slash.
The divine blade, Godslayer, wreathed in searing flames, mirrored the burning Sakura Tree behind her.
It was like a molten blade forged to cleave the world itself, incinerating the approaching Honkai beasts in its wake.
But of course, the enemies weren't so easily vanquished.
Quantum Honkai beasts—controlled by Kevin continued pouring in from the void, seizing every opening in Himeko's strikes to launch surprise attacks.
Yet before they could even advance a single step, an elegant scythe spun like a whirlwind.
Its razor-sharp edge tore through the creatures' limbs as if mowing grass.
Before they could react, another precise slash followed, finishing them off completely.
Seele danced across the battlefield, wielding a scythe taller than herself with deadly grace.
Like a reaper passing judgment, every swing left devastation in her wake.
Don't let her usually timid demeanor fool you—once she committed to a fight, Seele's strikes were swift, decisive, and devastating.
Her elegance and strength rivaled even the most seasoned Valkyries.
The battle raged on.
Kevin, wielding his authority over Honkai, summoned wave after wave of Quantum beasts.
The ground beneath him had become the very source of endless chaos.
A madman like this—how could he possibly be seen as a hero?
Such a hypocrite.
To make matters worse, Kevin had summoned a strange orb-shaped creature to stall Kagura and the others.
In truth, it was a formidable Quantum-class elite Honkai beast—Tripokka: Shadow of Chaos—essentially a miniboss or even a boss-tier threat.
This shape-shifting Quantum beast was one of Kevin's most loyal creations.
Nicknamed "the ball-thing Quantum Honkai beast" (courtesy of Kagura), it could shift between four combat forms depending on the situation:
Rampaging Shadow – resembling a heavy knight, charging headlong through anything.
Gale Shadow – swift and elusive, vanishing like a monstrous bird.
Abyssal Shadow – crab-like with exceptional defense, notoriously difficult to handle.
Medusa Shadow – jellyfish-shaped with ever-changing attack styles and overwhelming offense.
Tripokka: Shadow of Chaos was undoubtedly one of Kevin's most powerful creations, potentially rivaling the dragon-class Benares controlled by the Herrscher of the Void.
However, even this formidable creature couldn't gain much ground against Seele, whose combat style was specifically suited to slaying Quantum beasts.
And against Kagura—who stood still in the center of battle without a scratch—not even the strongest Honkai creature could get close.
With her silver hair and golden eyes, the mysterious girl who traversed worlds was an existence far beyond the reach of Honkai beasts.
It was no wonder Kevin had become obsessed with her, desperately trying to recruit her to his side.
"Hmph. Talking big about 'eliminating Honkai,' yet you've become their commander."
Kagura parried a Quantum beast's strike with her ice blade, her voice laced with scorn.
"Kevin, just look at yourself. Twisted by ideals and delusions—how pitiful."
"Pitiful? I don't think so," Kevin replied coolly.
He stepped forward, waving his hand to release a shockwave of unknown origin.
It blasted Himeko and Seele back, halting their advance.
"I've simply followed my beliefs, continuing forward. Haven't you ever done the same?"
"Of course I have," Kagura said calmly, unfazed even in the face of his attack.
The force barely tousled her hair.
"I fought to save my own world, too. But don't compare me to you. You're nothing but a stubborn fool—blinded by obsession."
Kagura had once fought with all her might to save the Marvel universe, but she had never lost herself.
She never sacrificed others in pursuit of her goals.
She never used innocent people as test subjects. And she certainly never aligned with darkness just to gain power.
Even in her final battle against Thanos, she kept the conflict contained, refusing to involve the Avengers.
She chose a one-on-one duel—ending the threat alone, without dragging the entire universe into chaos.
To her, Kevin was nothing more than a misguided idealist who'd lost his way.
To destroy Honkai beasts, Kevin Kaslana had embraced the very power he once vowed to eradicate.
But he failed to understand one simple truth: the Honkai will corrupt anyone who tries to control it—without exception.
Even Kevin would eventually become nothing more than a tool for its destruction.
He'd performed human experiments to fuse people with Honkai beasts, commanded them like pets, even transformed humans into monsters behind the scenes…
All of that just to make humanity into sublime state.
Kagura remembered every one of Kevin's sins from her past life.
How could such a man ever claim to be just?
Even if World Serpent entered reality, even if Kevin's manage to rob humanity freedom and escape honkai clutch.
Was it really Kevin Kaslana—the man who sought to defeat the Honkai?
Still… was it truly Kevin who would triumph in the end?
Or was it the Honkai Will, bent on eradicating human civilization?
'Clang—!'
The frost-covered Spiritblade once again deflected a feeble strike from the Quantum Honkai Beast—Shadow of Chaos.
To Kagura, these creatures—ones that couldn't even handle Himeko or Seele—weren't even worth a second glance.
She pointed her blade at the slowly approaching Kevin.
"Mr. Kevin," she said coldly, "when someone fails to recognize their own mistakes and believes they're walking ever further down the righteous path… they become the most pathetic kind of person in this world."
"Well said, Kagura!" Himeko's voice rang out behind her, fierce and resolute. "No matter your reasons—if you threaten our world, you're my enemy!"
As she spoke, Himeko leapt high into the air. Her sword, Godslayer, blazed with searing fire as she brought it down toward Kevin.
At the same time, the armor she wore—Crimson Knight: Eclipsed, a relic of the previous era—unleashed the overwhelming flames of a Herrscher.
The power of the Herrscher of Flames surged forth.
In an instant, the sky turned crimson.
A heatwave, like the breath of the sun itself, roared toward Kevin, warping the air and swallowing his figure in fire.
'Crack!'
But things didn't go as planned.
Not even the flames of the Herrscher of Flames could make Kevin take a single step back.
As the smoke cleared, Kevin stood tall—calm and unscathed—his hand effortlessly catching Himeko's blade mid-air.
His icy blue eyes radiated contempt and disappointment.
"How unfortunate," he murmured. "I had hoped to welcome you Valkyries—warriors who've battled Honkai—into my fold.
But it seems… I'll have to kill you instead, Miss Himeko."
"Keep dreaming!"
Himeko twisted mid-air, delivering a powerful kick to Kevin's arm, freeing her sword from his grasp.
She spun gracefully as she landed—a crimson dancer in motion.
The blade reignited with roaring flames. With a mighty swing, Himeko carved a blazing arc through the air.
"Burn to ash!"
'BOOM—!'
Kevin remained unfazed.
A surge of bone-chilling frost erupted from his palm, sending Himeko flying along with her flaming sword.
"Fool. I'm the one who commands Skyfire Sacred Blade—do you really think a bit of heat will make a difference?"
As Himeko staggered from the blow, the Shadow of Chaos, which had been clashing with Kagura, suddenly changed course—rushing straight at the defenseless Himeko.
Its razor-sharp quantum blade aimed directly at her chest, with the intent to pierce her clean through.
'Schwing—!'
Just in time, a scythe flashed across the battlefield.
Coated in crimson magic, a violet-black scythe sliced the Shadow of Chaos clean in half mid-air.
'BZZZZZZ—!'
The once-untouchable Quantum Beast was instantly stripped of its quantum properties, collapsing into a vulnerable "collapsed state"—like a warrior stripped of both armor and weapon, left limp and powerless on the ground.
"Tch, figures I'd have to step in again," Seele muttered, her eyes glowing red as her scythe crackled with lethal energy.
"Well then… I'll play with you a little. Honestly, I've had it with that smug white-haired bastard. What do you think, Seele? Can I cut him up now?"
Her alternate persona—Inner Seele—had awakened, and her combat power soared to a new level.
Due to her quantum-state nature, Seele was the natural predator of Quantum Honkai beasts.
Enemies that others struggled to wound were effortlessly reduced to mincemeat in her presence.
Even the mighty Shadow of Chaos, so dominant against other Valkyries, was nothing but a pathetic insect in the face of Inner Seele—easily crushed underfoot.
Impatient surged through him as glacial killing intent coiled around his body like a storm.
"Enough. If this your all of your strength, then just give up you still didn't know what kind of burden you need to face."
"Tch… 'burden'?" Seele scoffed. "You dare throw that word around?"
She raised her scythe, stepping protectively in front of the fallen Himeko.
"Kevin. You should know who I really am. My hatred for the Honkai is pure and absolute. You've thrown yourself into its arms—so I'll be the one to end you."
"… If you can do it that do it." Kevin sneered. "Even if you keep your principles—anything is worthless in front of Honkai!"
Overcome with rage, Kevin swept his arm forward, unleashing a torrent of razor-sharp frost toward Seele.
'Shing!'
'Splurt!'
Just as Kevin prepared to crush Seele and Himeko both, a glimmer of white ice pierced through his chest.
A blade.
From behind.
"You sure love ignoring people, don't you?" a cold voice said.
Kagura stood behind him, her voice sharp as the weapon in her hands.
The blade that pierced Kevin's body was a reconstructed ancient weapon forged from the Reality Stone—Spiritblade: Frozen Nakura.
"Th-this... S-Sakura… power…?" Kevin's eyes widened as he stared at the blade lodged in his chest.
"I don't know how Miss Sakura truly felt about you," Kagura said, twisting the blade with a crack, piercing deeper into his chest.
"But in that civilization destroyed by the Honkai, I doubt anyone would approve of what you've become, Kevin."
She tightened her grip, voice icy as the weapon in her hand.
"Whether it's Sakura, Fu Hua… or even Mei—the one who believe you the most—they'd all be ashamed to see what you've turned into."
'Shing!'
'Thud!'
With a smooth pull, Kagura yanked the blade free. Kevin fell to the ground with a heavy crash.
Kevin clutched his chest, where the wound pierced deep to the bone—yet even now, it was slowly beginning to heal.
The Honkai had already overtaken him completely, transforming him into something less than human.
"It's seems you girls have the appropriate qualifications." Kevin stands slowly. "Then lets see if you ca—"
'THUD—!'
Before he could finish, a spinning motorcycle tire slammed into his face at full speed.